"A bunch of small-fry like you actually made it this far? You guys must have some serious luck!"
The three Oto-nin smirked as they eyed Sasuke, who stood at the front.
They'd been ordered by Orochimaru to take out Sasuke.
What they didn't know was that their boss had already been driven off by Kazama.
If they had, not even eating a bear's heart or a leopard's gall would've given them the guts to show up here.
"Hmph! I was just itching for a fight, and you idiots walked right into it!"
Sasuke's eyes lit up at the sight of the enemy ninja.
He'd been dying to show off his skills in front of Naruto and Sakura, maybe flex a little.
He wanted them to see him in a new light.
So, before the three Oto-nin could even make a move, Sasuke charged at them first.
"Well, look at this guy! Pretty bold, huh? Daring to attack *us*?"
The Oto-nin had been gunning for Sasuke from the start, so seeing him come straight at them only made them sneer.
They unleashed their signature soundwave attack.
Sasuke barely had time to process what was happening before his ears were assaulted by a deafening roar, his world spinning.
Then, it felt like his entire body was pummeled by countless strikes.
Finally, he crashed hard to the ground.
All that flashy action, and he ended up looking like a total fool.
"How's that, kid? Tried to show off and ended up showing your ass instead, huh? Haha!"
The Oto-nin's mocking laughter sent Sasuke into a humiliated rage.
He immediately activated his two-tomoe Sharingan.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
"Oh, getting serious now, are we?"
The three Oto-nin didn't flinch as Sasuke's fireball roared toward them.
With their soundwave attack, they completely shattered his Katon.
"Man, you're pathetic! And you call yourself an Uchiha? More like the Shit-Eating Clan!"
"You bastards! How dare you insult my family!"
Sasuke had always taken pride in being an Uchiha, so their insults made his blood boil, his whole body trembling with fury.
But his skills just weren't enough to take on these three.
After a few exchanges, he was beaten back, retreating again and again.
"This is the strength of genin in the Chunin Exams? They're *this* strong?"
For the first time, Sasuke realized just how small his power was compared to other genin.
All this time, Kazama had been carrying them, shouldering the heavy load.
Without him, they wouldn't have even made it past the first stage!
"Damn it! How dare you mess with my teammates! Get your filthy hands off them!"
Naruto, never one to stand by, unleashed his go-to move: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
Sure, he and Sasuke bickered all the time, but when push came to shove, Naruto wouldn't let his teammates get bullied.
"Heh, another fearless runt stepping up to die!"
"You jerks! I'll take you all down!"
With a furious roar, Naruto sent dozens of shadow clones charging at the Oto-nin.
But he hadn't yet mastered the finer points of Kage Bunshin.
The result? Just like Sasuke, he ended up beaten to a pulp, face swollen and bruised.
"Again! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Naruto was the durable type, so he summoned even more clones, ready to overwhelm them with a war of attrition.
But before he could act, the enemy pinpointed his real body and sent him sprawling with a single blow.
"Nothing but trash!"
The Oto-nin gloated, stepping on Naruto and Sasuke's faces as they lay defeated.
"Please, let us go! I'll give you the Scroll of Heaven and the Scroll of Earth right now!"
Seeing Naruto and Sasuke taken down so quickly, Sakura was trembling in fear.
"Well, well, I didn't notice there was a little cutie here!"
One of the Oto-nin approached with a sleazy grin.
"Our mission is to kill Sasuke. Let's finish the job and get out of here!"
"Relax, let me have a little fun first!"
At those words, Sakura fainted from sheer terror.
"She's out? Even better—more fun for me! Haha!"
"You bastards!"
Naruto and Sasuke tried to intervene, but their injuries were too severe—they couldn't even move.
"You two just stay there and watch me show off what a real man can do! Haha!"
"Amaterasu!"
At that critical moment, a three-colored flame erupted out of nowhere, instantly reducing the Oto-nin to nothing.